Leisha Hailey answers questions during the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Los Angeles
Cast member Leisha Hailey answers questions during the Showtime panel for "The L Word" at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Los Angeles January 14, 2009. Reuters

L- Word star Leisha Hailey was allegedly kicked off a Southwest flight for kissing her girlfriend. She then took to her twitter account with a firestorm of tweets calling for a boycott of the airline.

Hailey, 40, who started her career as a musician, is most well known for her role as bisexual writer, Alice, on the hit Showtime drama the L-Word, which follows the lives of a group of lesbian friends.

Hailey tweeted about the incident, saying she got the boot after a flight attendant said that it was a 'family' airline and kissing was not OK. The star became vocally upset over the issue, at which point Hailey and her girlfriend were escorted off the plane.

That was not the only tweet by the star, who is currently trending #boycottsouthwest and #discrimination. She is calling for all gays and lesbians to boycott the airline, tweeting Boycott @SouthwestAir if you are gay. They don't like us.

Since when is showing affection towards someone you love illegal? I want to know what Southwest Airlines considers as family, the star continued.

According to a Southwest statement, passengers had complained about the kissing, characterizing the behavior as excessive.

Southwest, which prides itself on being LGBT friendly, responded that the incident was not based on the sexual orientation of the couple, but rather the behavior on board.

The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight, Southwest explained in its press release.

The airline concludes their statement by somewhat sidestepping an apology for the incident.

We regret any circumstance where a passenger does not have a positive experience on Southwest and we are ready to work directly with the passengers involved to offer our heartfelt apologies for falling short of their expectation.

Hailey also took to her twitter to mention that she has audio and video footage of the incident, which the star has not yet released.

What do you think about the incident? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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